[nagdu] GDF and NAGDU conventions

Tue Apr 24 00:01:14 UTC 2012

Jenine,

Cool! I hadn't heard that. It's a great thing, though, for sure. I just 
learned a week or so ago that Guide Dogs of the Desert is starting to do 
something of the same thing, cross training some of their dogs for 
multiple disabilities. So maybe y'all are starting a trend?

Tami
On 04/23/2012 05:24 AM, Jenine Stanley wrote:
> HI Laurel,
>
> Actually we do both.
>
> We have a program called America's VetDogs which is a subsidiary
> organization of the Guide Dog Foundation that provides service dogs for US
> Military veterans. These dogs can also be guides if the veteran is legally
> blind and otherwise qualifies for a guide dog.
>
> Since we have taken on the service dog program, we have learned a great deal
> about training dogs for tasks other than guiding so that if someone does
> need additional tasks from a guide, we can consider that in their training.
> Not all dogs can handle multiple tasks and there are only so many tasks a
> dog can be taught to do for someone, guiding being probably the most
> demanding in many ways.
>
> Jenine Stanley
> jeninems at wowway.com
> http://www.twitter.com/jeninems
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Laurel
> Sent: Sunday, April 22, 2012 9:37 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] GDF and NAGDU conventions
>
> Hi Jeanine, sorry if I mispelled your name,
>
> I have a question. You said that GDF graduates about 100 guide dogs, but
> that they also graduate some other service dog type teams? What does that
> mean? Do you all help people get dogs that do other things as well as guide
> like guide dogs that work with people in wheel chairs? Or do you issue dogs
> that aren't guides but perform other tasks like wheel chair, hearing, etc. I
> know some schools work with people who need guides and wheel chair guides,
> or the deaf blind etc, but I have never learned much about GDF's work in
> this area so I am curious.
> Thanks,
> Laurel and Stockard
>
> On 4/22/12, Jenine Stanley<jeninems at wowway.com>  wrote:
>> Julie,
>>
>>
>> Let me give you a little more info on the exhibiting factors that lead
>> to GDF decisions anyway regarding conventions.
>>
>> We have not had a booth at the ACB convention for many years. The
>> primary reason is that their exhibit hall hours are much longer over a
>> longer span of time than at NFB and we simply do not have the staff to
>> man a booth and take part in the activities of the guide dog
>> affiliate, GDUI, which demand volunteers from te schools to help with
> various events.
>> I'm the GDUI Program Chair this year so I can say things about them.
>> <grin>
>>
>> We do, however, hope to have a booth at the NFB convention even though
>> the cost is more, primarily because we like how the exhibit hall is
>> organized and run and that this is an audience we have been neglecting for
> some time.
>> As you see from my earlier note, that's paid off in the number of
>> people referred to us through NFB and NAGDU.
>>
>> I personally like the dedicated exhibit hall times at NFB as it gives
>> me time to attend the NAGDU functions without having to worry about a
>> booth and as I'm the one responsible for said booth, that matters a
>> lot.<grin>
>>
>> The ACB exhibit hall is very crowded all week, which is fine but
>> again, we find that we reach more people by walking around, talking to
>> people, helping them with various things around the hotel, etc.
>>
>> We also have found fewer graduates attending ACB conventions,
>> especially when held in western states. Some day this balance may
>> swing again, but I really think that having different strategies for
>> each type of convention, even the state ones, is important. As long as
>> people know how and where to find us, That's what really matters.
>>
>> Jenine Stanley
>> jeninems at wowway.com
>> http://www.twitter.com/jeninems
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>> Behalf Of Julie J.
>> Sent: Sunday, April 22, 2012 6:10 PM
>> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] GDF and NAGDU conventions
>>
>> I have been to both NFB and ACB national conventions.  At the NFB
>> conventions I have been to there are generally a handful of the guide
>> dog program reps there.  It is usually the larger schools, unless the
>> convention is geographically very close to a smaller program's main
>> offices.  When I was at the ACB national convention last year, I think
>> there was a booth in the exhibit hall for just about every program
>> available.  There were definitely many more than at the NFB conventions.
>>
>> So I asked myself why this might be?  On the surface it might look
>> like there is more agreement with ACB so that's why more of the
>> programs attend that convention.  But I don't think so.  I think a
>> larger percentage of blind people at the ACB conventions are
>> interested in working with a guide dog.  If you only have so many
>> advertising dollars, it makes sense to use them where you are going to get
> the most out of them.
>> I've talked with a lot of program representatives over the years.  I
>> can honestly say that what we talked about wasn't much different based
>> on whether I was at one of the NFB conventions or the ACB convention I
>> attended.   The guide dog program employees talk about dogs, dog
>> training and what they have to offer.  After all the guide dog programs
>> are businesses.   They are providing trained dogs to blind people, not
>> entering into philosophical debates.
>>
>> Sure I do think that there are employees within the various guide dog
>> programs that are NFB or ACB members and promote their personal
>> beliefs purposefully or incidentally through their employment, but I
>> do not think that any of the guide dog programs as a whole favors one
>> organization over another.
>>
>> JMHO
>> Julie
>>
>>
>>
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